The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-04-15
TO THE DOCTORS.

The Action of the Philadelphia Quakers
Regarding the Use of Alcohol by the
Medical Fraternity.
The Temperance Committee of the
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the So
ciety of Friends has issued the follow
ing timely Address to physicians, bear
ing the signatures of President Edward
H. Magill, of Swarthmore College, as
chairman, and Henry I. Child, M. D.,
as clerk of the committee:
"AN ADDRESS TO THE MEDICAL FACULTY ON THH
USE OF ALCOHOL IN THE PRACTICE OF
MEDICINE.
SDeeply sensible of the vast responsibility
which rests upon the members of the medical
profession in regard to the enormous evils OF
intemperance resulting from the use of intox1-
eating beverages, we address you, and wish to
call your attention to the facts in relation to
this subject.
you are not only the chosen guardians OF the
health of the community, but your position is
emnently that of teachers-the very name doc
tor signifies teacher. All classes of the COM
munity look to you for advice, and are very
much Influenced by that which you give them.
How often do we hear the saying: Our doctor
says this is right, or that is wrong? Especially
Is this true in the case of young mothers, and
evil, will be felt for more than one generation,
the use OF stimulants and narcotics during this
important period often stamping an inherent
taste for alcohol in the child. as well as causing
the mother to adopt their habitual use. It is
well known that during the last thirty years our
knowledge of the properties of alcohol, and of
those compounds in which it is found and used,
has been greatly extended. The fact that fer.
mented liquors, cider, malt-liquors and wines
afoiY, 1ae ~
ognized, but we now know that these drinks are
all of them capable Of producing intoxication.
That they interfere very seriously with diges-
ton and nutrition, and especially with the re.
moval of effete matters from the system, is now
well-established fact. The alcohol is the
same in these as in distilled liquors, differing
only in quantity.
1.-THE question whether alcohol is food or
generator Of heat has been carefully examined,
and the evidence seems to be clear that it is
neither. Many eminent physicians have arrived
at the conclusion that it is simply an irritant
narcotic poison; that it enters the human sys.
tenn, either by absorption inhalation, as
alcohol, that it remains in the blood-vessels
and tissues for time as alcohol, and that 1t
passes out of the body through the various
emunctories without change.
"Those who believe in the necessity of the
use of alcohol as a medicine must be aware
that the various liquors in which it is found
are not at all reliable, either as to the guam
tity Of alcohol they contain or the other ingre-
dents with which they are adulterated under
the name of compounds The fact that almost
all wines and liquors now sold are adulterated
is we'll established
eve would refer the reader to the chapter
on Authorizations, in Gustafson's Foundation
of Death, PIP. IS to Sc
DR. Benjamin W. Richardson, of London,
Eng, an eminent scientist and physician, was
convinced in his earlier Investigations that il
was uncertain and unsafe to prescribe any OF
the wines or liquors in common use. He there.
fore prescribed pure alcohol, diluted with wa
ter, so that he knew that he had a fixed amount
of the former without any of the impurities
which were contained in the liquors.
Every conscientious physician is careful to
have the remedies used as pure possible,
and no one will advocate the use of alcohol by
persons in health, and it is an important ques.
ton for the medical practitioner to settle as to
how far it may be advantageous to use it as a
medicine.
1--WE respectfully ask you to examine this
carefully without prejudice We refer you to
the statistics and reports of the London Tenn
perance Hospital, which was established in
1864. (See pages 208 to 215) Gustafson: The
reports are invariably satisfactory THE
treatment is altogether without alcohol in any
form AS matter Of fact alcohol has only
been used in one or two experimental cases
within ten years, and in these without beneficial
results
1--WE trust that the loose and indscriminate
practice Of recommending persons to procure
for themselves any kinds of liquors as medi.
cnes will no longer prevail, as it is almost Ger.
tain to lead to the evils of intoxcation which
no class of the community have so full an OPP
portunity OF witnessing as the members of the
medical profession, whose intimate relations
with their patients and their families compel
them to witness these evils in all their stages
and who are thereby enabled to WELD power
ful influence for good, If by their precept and
examples they are faithful to their highest
convictions of right.
Another fruitful source of intemperance,
for which the medical profession is not alto
gether responsible, is the use of patent or pro-
prietary' medicines, almost all of which con-
tain alcohol and hence are calculated to create
an appetite or thirst for intoxicants. We ask
you to use your influence against these.
The use of alcohol in the Official prepare
tions is a subject worthy of very serious consid.
GRAFTON. We would recommend great care and
caution in the continued use of these, especial
ly after the patient has passed from under the
Immediate care of the physician, as it is very
likely to establish the habit Of drinking The
great number Of fluid-extracts of valuable med
fcines furnishes means of avoiding these il a
little care is taken in their use. 1t is to be
hoped that we shall be able to dispense with
the use of alcohol in medicines by the substitu-
ton of harmless vehicles for the remedies re-
CURED.
In conclusion, we ask your sincere and I'M
BIASED consideration Of the suggestions We
have presented, our object being to promote
the dignity end usefulness of your noble pro-
fession and the good Of all mankind.
EDWARD H. MAGILL, Chairman
HENRY T. CHILD, Clerk
The above address was approved by
the Committee on Temperance and In